Brown studied painting from 1881 to 1885 at the Art Students League in New York City, intending to become an artist. She changed her focus to teaching and became assistant director of the Norwich (Connecticut) Art School in 1891. There her laboratory method of teaching attracted attention: to sharpen their powers of observation, students drew and modeled representations of the art they studied.

In 1897 Brown took a position at Wellesley (Massachusetts) College, where she reorganized its art program and introduced her laboratory method. By 1900 Wellesley was offering the country’s first major course of study in art history. While at Wellesley, Brown also introduced the first course in museum training (1911) and sponsored the first course ever given in the United States in modern art (1927).

Her writings include, with William Rankin, A Short History of Italian Painting (1914).

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private women’s college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S., one of the Seven Sisters schools. A liberal arts college, Wellesley grants bachelor’s degrees in humanities, including Chinese, Japanese, and Russian languages; in social science, including Africana studies, religion, and...